“…The music got more interesting in the second set, consisting of a Petrarch sonnet, some gray clouds, and a tour of Dante’s hell and paradise. The ending of Sonetto 123 del Petrarca was absolute magic, with Himy moving from the softest piano, to pianissimo, to pianississimo (ppp), to a sound that barely registered in the hushed silence of the auditorium. Moments later, after a brief diversion into Nuages gris , Himy was fully embroiled in the tritone flames of Dante’s circles, descending deeper and deeper beneath the earth. Après une lecture de Dante is not the most subtle piece of music ever written, but it can be tremendously effective if the performer has the stamina to maintain its alternating visions of heaven and hell. Himy proved he had what it takes, catapulting headlong into the inferno and repeatedly coming up for a glimpse of paradise until the two alternate realities merged into one. The finish was tremendous.”
North Bay Classical Reviews
Steve Osborn